Iran Reveals New Ballistic Missile Facility

ICEJ News Briefs

Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Thursday that the Islamic Republic has constructed a third underground ballistic missile production factory, adding that this factory is part of the clerical regime’s plan to continue developing ballistic missiles regardless of UN Security Council resolutions demanding that these programs be curtailed. "Iran does not need the permission of the United States to conduct missile tests," newly re-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday.

Egyptian Christians Slaughtered on Way to Monastery

Reports out of Egypt later Friday indicate that a shooting attack on a group of Coptic Christians on their way to a monastery in Minya province, south of Cairo, resulted in at least 23 people killed and another 25 wounded. At press time, no terrorist group had yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Israel’s Political Left in Chaos

Israel’s political Left was rocked this week by an election for the leadership of the Histadrut Labor Federation marred by serious allegations of voter fraud which could have far reaching effects. Additionally, the Labor Party was forced to admit that its membership lists have been hacked, causing havoc which might make a postponement of the 4 July leadership election unavoidable.

Archeologists Unveil Artifacts from Second Temple Jerusalem

Israel’s Antiquities Authority on Thursday unveiled a cache of artifacts from what they believe was a battle that took place in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, near to the time when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman army under Titus. “These finds tell the story of the last battle between the Roman forces and the Jewish rebels who had barricaded themselves in the city, a battle that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem,” the Antiquities Authority said.

“Recent research indicates that the street was built after Herod’s reign, under the auspices of the Roman procurators of Jerusalem, and perhaps even during the tenure of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who is also known for having sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion,” said Nahshon Szanton, one of the leaders of the excavations in Jerusalem’s Old City. “This conclusion sheds new light on the history of Jerusalem in the late Second Temple period, and reinforces recognition of the importance of the Roman procurators’ rule in shaping the character of Jerusalem.”

Here is a video about the findings produced by the Israel Antiquities Authority

BDS Campaign Harshly Rebuked

Estonia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Mikser told The Jerusalem Post this week that his country flatly rejects the international movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel. While acknowledging that his government disapproves of Israeli settlement communities in the West Bank, he said that “the way to go [forward] is [through] negotiations rather than making efforts to intimidate the other party."

Today's video is a report on a Believer run hostel in the Israeli Red Sea resort city of Eilat (with English Subtitles)